Follow-up

Hola!

Wow! The last couple of weeks have been like a whirlwind. We returned from Mexico on Sat. evening the 31st and left Sunday at 1:00 for Pine Cove for family vacation. I think we did a few loads of laundry in between, but otherwise I don't remember much! The kids and I leave again on Saturday to spend about 11 days in North Carolina with mom and dad. Included within that trip is a quick visit to Florida to visit one of Reagan's best friends who moved last summer. So....we are finishing off our summer with a bang. I figured if I didn't get this letter out this week, it probably wouldn't happen, so here is a brief rundown of our trip to "Campamento Koinonia."

We know that many of you were praying for us and our group as we went. Thank you. The Lord was so faithful to us. He answered each request that we laid before Him in a way that only He can do. Every detail was taken care of. We had no problems with flights, customs immigration etc. That in itself is a miracle! Other than very mild upset tummies from a few team members, we all stayed healthy throughout the week. The altitude didn't seem to bother me as much as I thought it would. Although it did rain A LOT, it seemed to clear at just the right time on just the right day for us to get our work projects completed. We developed an amazing unity within our group as well as with the missionary couples we met there and the counselors and kids as well. While the communication barrier was difficult at first, the bond of Christ united our hearts quickly. Our Spanish did improve throughout the week, but we found that many of the kids and counselors spoke some English as well and there was always a translator around!

We arrived on Saturday and took a bus to a church in Celeya. This was where we were originally supposed to be serving for the week. They had a wonderful meal prepared for us when we arrived. It was amazing to see and hear how the church has grown over the past several years. We enjoyed visiting with the families for a couple of hours but we had to head out in time to get to the camp (which was a 3 hour drive) before dark.

We arrived in time for an evening meal and spent some time with our gracious hosts the Musgraves. It was very cold and rainy and muddy. I quickly realized that I had not packed appropriately! We started Sunday with a bi-lingual worship service followed by the beginning of work projects as well as the arrival of campers. Half of our team focused specifically on work projects while the other half of us organized and assisted with arts and crafts. We had a group of girls and a group of boys each day for crafts. Sometimes, some of the ladies would even come up from the kitchen when the kids were done to do some crafts for themselves. What a treat to get to visit with them during this time. When we weren't caught up in craft projects, the rest of the group would pitch in on the work projects. Our team built a platform for trash barrels, moved gravel to help with drainage, fixed a trailer, hauled roofing materials, picked apples, sealed a roof and did much landscaping work throughout the week. On Friday, one of our team members and her daughter had an opportunity to share their personal testimonies with the campers. It was a special time.

The beginning of the week was very hard for me personally. I've never done anything like this before. I think the combination of fear, culture shock, weather, our accommodations, etc. almost became overwhelming to me by Sunday night. I tried to call Rob that night, but was limited to only a brief conversation. Although I didn't realize it till later, I believe that God was showing me that He wants to be the one I turn to in times of trouble, not my husband. It was a great lesson. Another spiritual lesson I learned was through my daughter, Reagan. She has always had what I would call a "single minded focus." It drives me crazy sometimes, but God showed me that this is what He is calling me to. I was reminded of a song by Amy Nobles, entitled "One Pure and Holy Passion." The chorus says, "Give me one pure and holy passion; give me one magnificent obsession, Jesus give me one glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow hard after you."

Reagan never seemed to struggle throughout the trip. She seemed to be "in her element" so to speak. When asked what her favorite part about the trip was, she said the relationships she made while there. She even exchanged a couple of e-mail addresses with some girls. We came to love the people there so much. We shed many tears when it was time to leave.

We know that at least four children trusted Christ during the week and many more rededicated their lives to Him. We were praying for that. We were also praying that God would do a work in our lives and He certainly did that as well. We have a much bigger picture of what God is doing throughout the world, specifically in Mexico. He showed us that despite our differences, we are united in Christ and our hearts are knit together. He showed me that He is all that I need and that He wants to be my magnificent obsession. And I think He confirmed in Reagan a desire to continue pursuing missions abroad.

Who knows where all of this will lead, but we are so thankful for the opportunity we had to take this trip this year. Thank you for your prayers and support. We couldn't have done it without you. To Him be all the glory and honor and praise!

Joyfully,

Christy and Reagan

Thursay July 30th

Hello from Mexico!! I (Danny) am sitting in an internet cafe in Amealco, typing this in notepad , no spell checker, as I can not find the link to login to the site. My Spanish is very limited. Michael and Sara are buying some plants at a nursery for some landscaping. I just had typed up a long section and the cafe lost power. This entry will be shorter as time is limited for heading back to camp.

Two campers were saved last night in a cabin!!  Tonight there will be a camp fire and emphasis on where they are in relation to salvation and spiritual walk.  Please continue to pray and thanks for the prayers so far!

July 27

Hello from Mexico!!  I (Sara) am sitting in an internet cafe in Amealco, trying to figure out this keyboard with the symbols in a different place!  We don{t have internet access or a phone signal at the camp, so our blogs may be few.

We are having a great time, and being challenged.  The first couple of days we struggled a little to adjust to the altitude of 9,000 ft.  That mainly means we were tired.  Today we are moving better. 

We are helping the missionary couple here, Rich and Sara, who live at a camp in the mountains.  There is a lot of work to do, both physical and spiritual.  We are truly grateful to be allowed to be involved.

The work team has accomplished a lot so far, even with a fair amount of rain, and that encourages us.  They moved 48 sheets of 26 foot sheeting down a hill into the construction site; relocated the trash can area close to the kitchen; did plumbing on the Musgrave's house, and did a good deal of landscaping (moving 6 to 7 tons of dirt and concrete, just with shovels and wheelbarrows), among other things.  Rich is here, giving me all these details - cool.

Others of us have been busy preparing for and helping with crafts for the church's VBS.  The kids have loved the crafts, spending lots of time and doing a careful and creative job painting frames and bags.  We love the kids now, and I am sure we will have a hard time leaving them.  We are very much enjoying getting to know the other workers here, both adults and children.

The most relevant thing is how we have seen God working - in us, in the weather, in answered prayers, in others...we are really thankful to be here and hope to be used greatly by God. Our leader Carlos is graciously spending time with each of us, discussing where we are spiritually.  That is priceless.

Please pray for continued health and safety, and timing of rain so that we can accomplish lots more work.  Pray that God will change us, make us more like Himself.  Also pray for our families at home, some returning from youth mission trips or staying with other relatives; and for us, as we miss them when we have a little down time or an experience we wish they could share.

Mexico Team Photo

Note from Alan

Hello!

I’m excited that the time is so close. Things look very good here. Joseph and I got into Celaya on Friday night. It’s been great seeing people here. The church is growing and doing very well through His grace.

On Saturday, a rented bus will be waiting at the airport, as will Joseph and I. We’ll have snacks and drinks in the bus. We’ll go to Celaya, which by bus is 75 minutes. We should get there before 3:00. The people of the church are preparing lunch for us. It should be a great time, and the food will be safe. We’ve never had problems.

We’ll have a time to talk and share with the believers there. We hope to leave by 5:00 and get to the camp in the same rented bus by 7:30. The bus has to park about two miles or so from the camp because the road is so bad the last two miles or so. It’s passable for cars, but not buses. The camp people will pick us up in trucks.  We’ll eat dinner there. All the meals will be very safe there; they are very used to cooking for gringos, though it may be a little spicy.

Richard Musgrave should send us a list of who we are staying with tomorrow.

Sunday we’ll have a service together with the Musgrave’s and 7-8 counselors. We’ll also have an organizational meeting with those there.

You do not need to bring pillows or sleeping bags. You do need to bring towels and a bar of soap, but not toilet paper. You will want to wear sandals when bathing.

The weather here is very warm for this season in Celaya, but very pleasant at the camp without rain, in the low 70’s. However, it could rain all week all the time and be cold. It would be wise to bring some type of rain boots if you can.  DO NOT FORGET  SUNBLOCK, PLEASE.

See you soon. Alan

Waivers for the Camp

Please remember to fill out the waiver form for CAM International that was sent out by Stephanie on 6/28/2010.  There are several people at the church that can notarize the waiver once it's completed.

Just a reminder that all our bedding in Amaelco will be provided so we don't need to pack that in our suitcases.

In Preparation for Amaelco

This blog will be a place for us to post information in preparation for our trip, and as an opportunity to share our experience with others while we're in Mexico. 


Here are a few things that we need to continue to pray about:

1. To prepare us for His plan.
2. For Him to take care of the details of the trip.
3. For safety and health throughout.
4. For Him to allow us to communicate (language barrier)
5. To let us plant the seed of God's Word.
6. Have Him grow our faith.

Here are some updates on our trip.
Crafts:
The craft time will be broken up into two groups.  Each groups will have 45 min to work on the craft of the day...we have some great crafts planned for the week.  The majority of craft supplies were ordered last week. They should come in by the end of this week, probably more like this Tuesday. Christy is going to do the remaining shopping for us this week.




Amanda talked to Sherri at the church about setting up a time to organize/count all of our craft supplies and get them packed for the trip.  The North hall of the church is reserved the Wednesday evening before our trip (Wednesday, July 21st from 6p-8p) to get everything organized. This is the hallway in between the preschool and nursery areas where the main children's check-in is. It was really the only spot available during VBS week, and it will work fine for us. It would be great to have some help with that. Please let us know if you're available to help.


Work Project:
We're still waiting for some confirmation on the exact details of the work project but this much we know. We will be creating a landscaping plan for the newly constructed house of the camp director. There is also a need to build a small roof of lamina by the kitchen and many other things. There are many tools there, but you need to bring work gloves and hammers.


Things to bring:
Boots - It will be the rainy season, and the camp has a red clay soil so it will become a little messy.
Everyone does need a towel and sandals for their feet when bathing.


Itinerary
Friday we will leave after breakfast, about 9:00 for Guanajuato in a rented bus. Guanajuato is an incredibly beautiful 18th century town near the Leon airport. We should get to Guanajuato before 1:00, eat lunch there and sightsee. It’s a beautiful and safe tourist resort and you can buy what you want. We should leave there about 6:00 in the bus and eat at Applebee’s that night if we want in Silao. We will be staying in a nice, but basic, hotel in Silao about five minutes from the airport on Friday night.


I think that should be everything for now.  I'll try and update this when we get more information (I'll send out a reminder to the group). If there's anything I have forgotten to add please let me know.


Michael